There is a need of mine to write a little more on grandpa. I guess I just need to release some of what I am feeling.

I am really going to miss pap. Not many grandpa’s would take their granddaughters hunting and fishing, but mine did. Not just me, but my sisters and girl cousins (and yes, the boys). I remember staying with my grandparents one night and pap and me getting up at 3 am to go night fishing. By 10 am that morning, my fishing pole was dipping in the water as I tried hard to stay awake. I did catch a few fish, but just being with pap and spending time was more important.

I remember him taking me bow hunting. I froze my butt off! It was probably the coldest day of the year so far and pap and I went hunting. I remember him stopping at Hardies for breakfast on the way there and eating our breakfast sandwiches in the truck before heading out to sit under a pine tree, waiting for that elusive deer. I never even got to pull the bow strings, but again, it was spending time with pap. Afterward, we drove to PA to pick up my brother from college. It was a 3 hour drive and it was about half way into the drive before I finally thawed out from hunting.

I remember watching football with him on Sundays after we had dinner. We would go to church, then everyone would come back to my grandparents house for Sunday dinner. After dinner we would watch football, mainly the Redskins, and my grandpa would tease my grandma about John Riggins of the Redskins. Grandma’s maiden name was Riggins so pap would say “Ma, there is your distant relative playing on TV.” Grandma would just hush him and move on.

I remember pap and his tomato garden. He was so proud of his tomatoes. He would spend so much time planting the seeds and caring for them in his garage until it was time to plant them in his garden. Then he would make sure there were no weeds and he would stake the plants so they would grow and produce the most succulent, ripe tomatoes.

I probably will take a few more blogs to share more memories of this great man. I miss him.